Press

FRAMINGHAM, MA – JANUARY 22, 2002 – IDG World Expo, the leading producer of world-class tradeshows, conferences and events for IT markets, today announced that it has now signed on nearly 60 leading life sciences and IT companies to exhibit at the inaugural BioITWorld Conference & Expo in Boston, Mass. Newest additions to the lineup include Sun Microsystems, Network Appliance, EMC and a number of other key participating companies. BioITWorld Conference & Expo is the first major event showcasing the latest in bioinformatics, data management and IT solutions for the life sciences industry. The groundbreaking event will premiere at World Trade Center Boston from March 12 – 14, 2002.

BioITWorld will be the first event for bioscience professionals to focus exclusively on information technologies that are transforming the life sciences throughout the entire discovery and development process. Recent research from leading industry analyst firm IDC indicates that IT infrastructure spending in the biosciences market is expected to grow from $9.2 billion in 2000 to more than $27 billion in 2005.

In addition to EMC, Network Appliance and Sun Microsystems (a silver sponsor of this event) the following life science and IT companies have signed on recently to exhibit at BioITWorld Conference & Expo:

Avaki LabBook, Inc.

BigStorage Inc. Microway

Bruker Daltonics NeoCore, Inc.

CambridgeSoft Nerac.com

DataDirect Networks, Inc. NetGenics

EResearchTechnology, Inc. NuGenesis Technologies

Illumitek Scientific Software

Iobion Informatics SPSS Inc.

Kforce Vertical i

These companies will join others such as Bio.com, Blackstone Computing, Compaq, CuraGen Corporation, HP, IBM Life Sciences, Inforonics and Viaken Systems on the show floor.

"A forum like BioITWorld is vital for demonstrating the important role that technology plays in driving the life sciences revolution," said Sia Zadeh, group manager of life sciences for Sun Microsystems. "Areas such as bioinformatics, drug discovery and development, genomics and proteomics are creating vast amounts of data that need to be stored, managed and shared to enable breakthrough research. BioITWorld promises to be the premier conference for bringing a fresh perspective to these important issues."

At BioITWorld, leading visionaries from the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, academic and government markets will come together to identify and learn about the latest tools and services that speed, store, analyze and interpret the flood of information produced by the life sciences industry.

"We're pleased to see a healthy balance between technology-oriented companies and life sciences companies exhibiting at BioITWorld," said Charlie Greco, president and CEO of IDG World Expo. "Through a diverse exhibit floor and a well-conceived conference program, we believe BioITWorld will provide a breeding ground for these industries to have meaningful exchanges and take advantage of significant business opportunities."

To register for BioITWorld Conference & Expo or to obtain information about exhibiting, visit http://www.bioitworld.com.

About BioITWorld

BioITWorld Conference & Expo (www.bioitworld.com), produced by IDG World Expo, is the first event to demonstrate how information technology is transforming life sciences throughout the entire discovery and development processes. IDG World Expo designed BioITWorld for life sciences professionals looking to evaluate and understand the advanced IT solutions and bioinformatics that help revolutionize our health, our environment and our society. Visionaries from the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, academic and government markets will convene at BioITWorld to learn how the latest tools, services and training can speed, store, analyze and interpret the flood of information being produced by the life sciences industry.

For More Information

For more information on BioITWorld Conference & Expo please contact Ryan Colby, Product Manager at (508) 424-4811 or via email at ryan_colby@idg.com. More information is also available by calling (800) 560-7612.

About IDG World Expo

IDG World Expo (www.idgworldexpo.com) produces IT-focused tradeshows, conferences and events for professionals seeking world-class education, peer-to-peer networking and one-stop comparison shopping. As the leading IT event management company, IDG World Expo leverages its experience and knowledge of IT-focused events and conferences, enabling technology companies to capture the attention and loyalty of influential buyers. IDG World Expo's portfolio of conferences and events includes Macworld Conference & Expo, LinuxWorld Conference & Expo, BioITWorld Conference & Expo and COMNET Conference & Expo, which features COMNET Wireless, Enterprise Application Summit and ESPWorld. IDG World Expo is a business unit of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research and event company.

About IDG

IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers and offers online users the largest network of technology-specific sites around the world through IDG.net (www.idg.net), which comprises more than 300 targeted Web sites in 70 countries. IDG is also a leading producer of 168 computer-related events worldwide, and provides IT market analysis through 51 offices in 43 countries worldwide. Company information is available at www.idg.com.